Anarchic Rose
by Graceful Peony
Summary: The Outsider is one that likes to be entertained. That likes to ripple the balance in different directions and see how things play out. He decides it's time to add a new piece. One that will add another layer of complication for the sake of being interesting. A new piece that will play an unexpected part. An OC story. / /BEING REWRITTEN/ /
1. when one gets abducted

**Rose of Anarchy**

* * *

The sun was high and bright as birds chirped though the swaying trees and wind danced lively across a grassy field. It sang as it rushed by, ruffling a girl's bouncy golden curls. She attempted to hold onto the shining locks as they whipped in her face. She bit her ruby lips in frustration and continued to trek down the dusty path to familiar blue-painted cottage, intent on getting there before it blew her white ribbons away.

When she reached the door, she gave a soft knock and smiled as it opened. A bright boyish face and warm blue eyes greeted her, whom she immediately threw her arms around. "Nathaniel!" She cried out in greeting to her dear brother. Nathaniel chuckled and hugged her in return. "Rosemary! I'm glad you had a safe trip! I want you to meet Alyssa!"

They went inside and Rosemary hung up her white lace sweater on the hook, before her brother led her into his comfy, well-furnished living room. A beautiful woman with long red hair and honey eyes got up from a chair to greet her. "Alyssa, this is Rosemary!"

Rosemary gave her a curtsey, and Alyssa smiled giving her hand to shake, resting her other on her swollen belly. "I've wanted to meet you for a while now. It's wonderful you could come down for the shower." Her voice was elegant and sophisticated with her British accent.

Rosemary shook it. "It's wonderful you could come back with Nathaniel to America." Alyssa continued to smile, but her eyes seemed slightly downcast. "Indeed. I do miss Wales quite a bit, though."

Nathaniel put his hand on her arm reassuringly. "This summer, we are going back for a couple months to visit." Alyssa nodded, resting her hand over his own. They stayed like that for a moment, and Rosemary remained quiet not wanting to interrupt their moment. Then after a bit they broke away and Alyssa took Rosemary's hands in her own.

"I am happy here though, I really am. It was the right decision to marry Nathaniel, and now I am going to be mother to a beautiful little girl."

Rosemary gave Alyssa's hands a squeeze. "It's so wonderful. Have you picked out a name?"

Nathaniel chuckled. "Not yet. We were thinking Scarlet, or something like Evangeline."

"Only Scarlet if she has my red hair, though." Alyssa joked.

The three continued chatting, until the sun started to set, and then they got in Nathaniel's car since it was time for them to head to the diner for dinner. Rosemary tipped her head to look out the window, looking out at the sparkling water and the drove by the large lake on the way to entering the small town. "It's such a beautiful place you found out here in the country, I don't think I'll ever get over it."

"There are some houses for rent at a pretty good price right on the lake, if you are interested in moving up here yourself. it would be closer to us." Nathaniel said, glancing back at her hopefully from the front.

Rosemary shook her head apologetically. "Sorry, this is just too far out. I need to be close to my College when the semester starts."

"You got accepted? Wonderful!" Her brother said, and Alyssa nodded in agreement. Rosemary gave them a nod, but she felt more anxious than anything else. She had chosen fashion design as her major, something her family viewed as risky. Nathaniel had gone to college for ecology, which was the reason he had been living out this far for a while.

"Hey, what's that on the side of the lake?" Alyssa asked. Nathaniel frowned turning his eyes to it, and Rosemary craned her neck to look, her eyes widening.

he stopped the car as they approached it. "What the heck? How strange, that looks like-" "A whale!" Alyssa gasped.

"No it cant be, a whale couldn't move in this lake. It's too shallow, and how could someone put it here?"

"That's a whale, Nate. You know it." Alyssa said seriously. Nathaniel parked and bounced out of his car, rushing over to the shore. Rosemary got out as well, and stepped with her white dress-shoes through the mud and reeds, approaching it. Alyssa too got out, taking careful steps.

Nathaniel got up close to it, kneeling to inspecting it. "No surprise, it's dead." The whale was huge, it's body marred with slashes. "Someone brutalized it before it died." Nathaniel stated. His voice was quiet, yet full of vehement. "They obviously left it here to be seen. What sick point were they trying to prove?"

Alyssa looked away, her hand cupping her mouth, while Rosemary stared at it's wide-eyes. "There is some sort of blue liquid leaking out of it's abdomen." She said straightforwardly, her body clenched with horror.

Nathaniel cursed under his breath. "Utterly sick. Did they experiment on it?" He got up from the shore, stalking back to his car. "there isn't reception out here, we need to drive closer to town and call the authorities."

"Wait, Nathaniel, the blue liquid is glowing!" Rosemary shouted. "Don't touch it, we don't know what chemical that is." Nathaniel shouted.

Rosemary nodded, and she back up a step only to have her foot press something into the mud. She raised her foot an frowned at the strange gear shaped object, reaching down her hand to pick it up. It looked like the gear was carved out of bone, a strange black symbol engraved on it. "Brother, there is also this." She ran through the muck back up to the car, and held it out. Nathaniel cursed again. "This is a whale bone."

"Do you think this can be a clue for tracking down the culprit? Maybe the culprit is an artist that carves this stuff, and they left it behind as a signature mark."

"Possibly." Nathaniel pondered. He turned his head back towards the whale and he gasped. Rosemary whipped her head back around. "It's gone!"

What the hell is happening!" Nathaniel exclaimed, rubbing his temples in shock. Alyssa just blinked and shook her head stunned. "Is it aliens?" She whispered. "No, don't jump to that conclusion." Nathaniel said sternly. "It has to be, Nate! What else?"

"An outsider." Rosemary whispered, her mind feeling far away. Nathaniel and Alyssa both looked back at her. Suddenly she lurched forward, and and she let out a scream of pain as searing heat ripped through her left hand. Light came off of it, as a black mark, not unlike the symbol was burned into her skin.

"Oh my God!" Alyssa cried, and Rosemary, dazed, suddenly felt her brother lifting her up. "Rosemary! Are you alright? This is freaky." His voice was ramped up with confusion and shock.

"I'm fine." She said, her body limp, Nathaniel entirely supporting her weight. She raised her shaky hand and looked at the mark. It looked like a tattoo. "Could it be ...black magic?"

"No!" Nathaniel cried angrily. "It's not aliens, and it's not black magic! There has to be some kind of logic to explain this!" He was trembling all over. Alyssa wrapped her arms around him soothingly.

Rosemary was silently panicking as she felt a strange sensation surge through her body, almost like a charge. it balanced itself out through out her body, and felt like power. The black magic.

"Nathaniel, let go of me, I can stand." She said firmly. She nodded encouragingly, and her brother reluctantly let go of her, and she got to her feet, swaying slightly. She knew something disturbing was happening within her, and she faced him and Alyssa, her face deceptively calm. "Please, step away from me."

"Rosemary." he protested. "I think I'm dangerous. Step away from me." She had never been more serious. "Rosemary, you're not."

"Step away."

He back up, and Rosemary looked down at the mark on her hand, her blue eyes wide as it began to shine again, the light blue. She wrapped her other arm around her body. "Whatever is doing this, whatever is happening, please just stop!"

Suddenly, Rosemary heard them both shriek. "Rosemary! Behind you!" Alyssa screamed.

She felt an immense pull behind her and her body was suddenly hurled around. She faced a gaping, swirling portal, and screamed. The shouts of her brother and Alyssa were the last things she heard as she was sucked through.

* * *

**So that's the first chapter. The rest of the fic is going to take place in the Dishonored universe.**

**\- Graceful Peony  
**


	2. the results of circumstance

**Rose of Anarchy**

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the smell. It was sickly, a mixture of sewage and something rotting, gaggingly sweet. It encased her. She took it in with every breath.

Then the cold. The way it numbed her fingers, the rest of her body, and stung her face.

And then the stickiness surrounding her body. Her arms were pressed into it. It coated the back of her neck, matted her hair to her scalp, stuck her white dress to her skin.

She opened her eyes to a sky grey and cloudy. She felt tired, but more so than that, she was confused.

She raised her body to a sitting position, her eyes widened as she took in the area around her. The first word that came to her was Apocalypse. The ground was flooded with filth and murky water, buildings were rugged and breaking down, and all was deserted expect for the sinister bodies of small rats shifting around. The sight matched the smell. She found herself terrified.

And then it all flooded to her, and Rosemary remembered the whale, the mark, and of course, the portal. Nathaniel and Alyssa must be mortified. She pulled her arms toward herself and discovered the strange carved gear was still in her hand.

"Did everything happen because of this?" She whispered out, her voice dry. She tried to stand up, the muscles in her body protesting from non-use, but she still felt it, that strange power surging through her. When she got to her feet, she took a few steps tentatively, wondering if it was safe to look around out in the open like this. The buildings towered over, silent, but she knew inside them there could be waiting danger. Danger that could probably see her right now.

She knew better than to shout out for someone to help her.

So she moved her shivering body to the shadows and pressed up up against one of those walls, moving with careful steps as her dress-shoes sank in the mud. There would be a foot-trail, it was inevitable. She tucked the strange gear into the front of her shirt.

When she got a few yards, she froze. There was noises of groaning, like someone was in agony, and she found when she listened, there were other voices following. She didn't know why, but on instinct she wanted to get higher. She searched above her and a couple feet forward she saw a fire escape. She sneaked further forward, and a shock of terror passed thorough her when she realized how close the moaning sounded now. It was as close as around the corner beside her.

So not daring to breathe, she grabbed hold of a pole and braced her feet against the wall. Her dress-shoes slid down it. She tried again, and then undid her shoes, fastening the straps around her wrist. she could grip the brick of the wall better with her bare feet, and she tried to maneuver herself, her small fingers struggling to keep a grip. The groan sounded suddenly closer, and the sound radiated up her spine.

The newest stroke of urgency made her pull her arms up, and they burned as she tried to work one foot up, and then the other. She continued this process, careful more than anything to keep her grip on the pole. If she fell, it was over. After her arms began to shake so hard her grip was loosing it, she reach the fire escape, and with one more pull, got herself to go up and swing under the railing. She breathed in and out, her body lying limply on the metal balcony.

When she turned around to look below her she gasped. Looking her straight in the face was another person, blood coated his mouth and tarnished shirt, his skin was emaciated, his eyes sunken. He opened his mouth and screeched out those horrible sounds, and clawed at the pole she had climbed in a was that was savage. She found herself scooting till her back found the wall, even though he couldn't reach her. Suddenly the person turned to the side and expelled a mouthful of blood. She noticed bugs crawling around his infected body.

Plague. That person was diseased. Could that have been the cause of the sickly smell? Her chest clenched when she realized she had been breathing the air all this time. Was it airborne? Or was it something that could only be transferred by blood-stream?

She found herself getting up and running around the side of the balcony, wanting to get as far away as possible. It appeared to be all around the building, and then there was another level that reached higher. "Oh God." She whispered, noticing others had collected below. Her feet made noise on the metal. When she reached the place where the fire escape was above, relief rushed through her as she realized the latter was down. She climbed up, hoping there wasn't any plagued people above, and got to the second balcony. She scooted once again into the shadows and contemplated what to do. Her first priority was safety, but where would she get clean water and food? She wouldn't be able to last more than three days without it.

Her only hope was if the mob below would disperse soon, and not come back. She would probably have to look in the buildings for food, perhaps something canned. She tucked her knees to her chest and once again looked at the mark on the back of her hand. What did this power do? How could she use it? But for now, she just rested her head on her knees, and gave into her exhaustion.

* * *

"Master, we haven't had anyone stationed at the left side for a while." His hands were placed on the large desk as he hunched over, deep voice muffled by his mask.

"I see, take one of our new recruits and go then. Make it quick." Daud spoke authority with his rough voice, but his eyes were very distant.

Thomas gave his a nod, knowing not to press Daud further when he got like this, and teleported. He arrived in seconds at the edge of the rotting hideout, immediately pinpointing one of their newest recruits. "Alexsander, come with me, we are going to keep look out on the left side."

"Sir." He sauntered up to him with an arrogance in the way he walked and they way his head was cocked, but at least he had remembered respect.

He followed Thomas as they sprang from the hideout to building rooftops. Thomas made the leaps small, as Alexsander hadn't inherited as much of Daud's magic as him. It varied from person to person, he understood that, but it still did not stop him from silently labeling the other as a hindrance.

After a few more strides he saw the ocean in view, until Alexsander's body abruptly stopped, his head studying something down below. "Sir, look down there!" Thomas threw his head in the direction he was indicating. "Strange, doesn't look like a weeper. I thought this area was cleared of civilians."

"There are a whole lot of weepers down there, though."

Thomas followed his gaze and nodded, a sigh rumbling through his chest. "She must have stirred up a lot of noise. Surely she should have known better than that."

"She doesn't seem like she would be someone dangerous then. Maybe she's a rat that wandered in here through the sewer." A dark, amused chuckle followed his remark.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Thomas said wearily. "Let's check out the situation."

The assassins bounded closer to her, blinking across the roof to land perched on the railing of the balcony. Naturally, the girl didn't notice them. Her blonde, matted head was buried in her knees and she was crying.

Thomas gave a flick of his head in indication to Alexsander.

The new recruit got off the railing and stalked quietly over to the female, till he was ominously looming over her. Then he just waited, and when she didn't raise her head, gave a stomp on the metal lightly with his foot to alert her of his presence.

When the girl raised her head and saw him, she screeched loudly, recoiling away. "Hello~" Alexsander hissed, lowering his voice to sound menacing, and he grabbed her shoulder flinging her against the wall.

Thomas shook his head with frustration. Alexsander was the type to toy with his victims then. Such antics were unprofessional. Thomas found his dislike for him increase.

Alexsander then leaned in close to her horrified face. "And what might have brought you here?"

The girl was too stunned to respond, she just stood paralyzed, breathing rapidly. She probably felt like cornered prey. He jerked her shoulder a bit, and no words were coming out as she shook her head rapidly.

"Oh, you're going to tell me nothing?" His body was shaking with laughter. "And what is this in the front of your dress?" She let out another shriek as he pulled the object out, turning it around in his hands.

"A rune." Thomas breathed in recognition, while Alexander tipped his head in confusion, handing it to him. He looked down and inspected the finely carved bone, running his fingers around the edges, confirming it was authentic. "Why does she have this? Alexsander, we need to check for-"

Thomas stopped mid-sentence and raised his head as he heard a familiar clinking noise. He narrowed his eyes as Alexsander started unbuckling his pants. They girl's blue eyes became horror-stricken. "Oh, please don't let him-" She tried to scream but he forced his rough hand over her mouth.

Thomas felt disgust hit the pit of his stomach. He slid off the rail and stepped over. "Whoa, absolutely not. Not in front of me."

"Then leave, Sir." Alexsander snapped in an irritated tone, his attention focused on forcing her frilly dress up.

"Alexsander!" He said in a deadly tone, drawing his blade with the speed and dexterity of many seasons. In a flash, he had it pointed at his throat, and held there steadily, tempted to slice.

Alexsander scoffed in return, still holding that arrogant posture. He looked so relaxed Thomas almost went ahead with it. "What? It's not like I'm going to kill her. Want her too?"

"You have been given orders, and you are on a mission. You _will_ obey and execute your duty." He used that deadly tone again.

Alexsander laughed again. "Heh. Of course you wouldn't like it. You're so devoted to Daud, I bet you're gay for him. You want Daud's-"

"Enough!" Thomas hissed, scraping the blade across his skin though the black fabric. He was shaking with anger, but withdrew the weapon as Alexsander finally realized the severity of his seriousness and backed off, his gloved hand darting to cup the cut on his neck.

Thomas took a deep in-take of breath, letting it flow into him and calm his nerves. He then collected himself again; composed and cold. "I'll deliver your consequences later."

He then turned away and stepped up to the shivering girl. She cringed away, and Thomas grabbed her wrist in his hand, turning it over. "I thought so." He muttered, running his thumb over the familiar mark. Some kind of fire lit off in the girl and she had new drive, trying to yank herself away. Probably anger had replaced the fear.

He stopped her by bracing her arm harder in his grip, which made her cry out slightly in pain, and then twisted it, bringing her head down to hit the metal.

He turned back to face Alexsander. "She has the mark of the Outsider. We're taking her back to Master Daud. Maybe he can use her."

* * *

**So that's the second chapter.  
**

**\- Graceful Peony  
**


	3. solitary confinement

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dishonored. Dishonored belongs to Arkane Studios.**

**Rose of Anarchy **

* * *

The water was murky and still. He sat silent and just stared at it as he waited. At the masked reflection dancing on the ripples. As it shifted when he tipped his head. He was unaccustomed to seeing it with his movements. He was more used to it on everyone else.

Gloved fingers reached out into the water, swirling lightly and distorting the reflection. He then withdrew them just above the water as a hagfish immediately came up to lunge.

Alexsander was like a hagfish. No, more like a rat. He knew how to provoke and grind nerves. When they had gotten back and Alexsander had removed his mask, Thomas had for the first time seen his face. The superiority dancing in his eyes and in the smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth as he not at all lowered his eyes or his head, but instead looked at him with a raised chin.

Oh how he knew how to provoke. Thomas had pinned his arms behind his back and immediately thrown him in the hold, locking the gate tightly. He was musing the thought of never letting him out as he had stalked away, and while he was still in range, he heard Alexsanders voice bite out that he got a power trip from this.

He had received no such satisfaction. Within the Whalers there was a pecking order. Those who are disrespectfully need to recognize who is in charge. He shook his head.

Thomas jerked around tensely out of his thoughts as he felt someone lightly touch his shoulder, and relaxed as he recognized the broad build of Chester, someone he had worked alongside for a very long time.

"Thomas." Chester said to him quietly in his usual polite manner. "Daud's returned."

Daud. He gave a short nod, standing up, his posture straightening; composed. "I didn't hear you approach." He spoke in his formal voice.

"You were perplexed. It leaves you vulnerable."

Thomas dropped the act and glanced briefly down at the water again. "Then perhaps I feel too safe here."

Chester chucked subtly, and his chest shook with the action.

"Happens when you've been in a place for a long while."

Thomas faced him again.

"But it's not anymore. Not since Lurk betrayed us."

Chester just gave him an honest shrug.

"Yes, and we best just continue on with our duties. To dwell will stray us from them."

"It will not be a distraction. Master Daud just gave her more than she deserved. "

Chester crossed his arms skeptically, but didn't pressure the conversation further, so Thomas started walking in the base's direction. "I'm departing then. I need to speak to Master Daud about that young girl I brought back." He then blinked away back to the base. He landed on the top ledge of the broken building, and headed into Daud's office.

"Master Daud," He spoke with formality once again, dipping his head in greeting.

Daud was tried, he could tell. His face was pale, eyes slightly bloodshot, and there was a disheartened slouch to his usually proud posture. He picked himself up a bit though, to address his subordinate, resting less pressure on the papers beneath his palms.

"Report." He spoke with seriousness and authority, but the fatigue was also visible in his voice.

Thomas hesitated, wondering if it would be better to let him sleep first, but he decided against it. "We found something that could be useful to you." He took out the rune from his coat and presented it.

"I found here in the Flooded District, on a girl. She has the mark of the Outsider." Daud's eyes flashed with surprise and then they narrowed in thought. "Did you capture her?"

"Yes, we have her in the hold. Also, none of the other Whalers have reported a return of the overseers. I know I shouldn't keep bringing it up, but it would be wise to start looking for another base location so-"

"I know, Thomas. That's not necessary."

Thomas wanted to protest but he remained silent, giving Daud a nod.

"As for the girl," Daud continued, contemplating thoughtfully. "See what she can do. How useful she is depends on if she's willing to cooperate."

* * *

She woke up in a place that was damp, and her head ached and throbbed with a heavy pain from being knocked out. Her arms and legs were bound by rope, and She felt the roughness of concrete against her bare cheek and arms. There was light squeaks and scurrying around her in the darkness, and she didn't have to ponder hard to guess what they were from.

She felt colder than she had been before, her numb hands failing to provide any warmth as she rubbed them up and down her arms, shivering. She briefly wondered if she would die in here, or if the frightening masked men would return and try to do something worse to her.

She remembered his hands trapping her, the masked one that had advanced on her.

The way his laugh had been muffled through a gas mask of yellow lenses, clad in black, every movement in his step and of his body a predatory saunter.

She knew he would have done it, and she was still shocked the other one stopped had him. Who we're these people? Or more so what, as they had appeared in front of her in an instant soundlessly.

And now she was here. Imprisoned in some way. What were try going to do with her?

It was either she wait or try and get out. Waiting would be dangerous but escape was more improbable. She tugged at the ropes again, testing them. A wave of fear shot through her. She most certainly didn't want to think about what would happen if she waited.

She wondered if she could provoke the rats in some way to eat through her ropes, or if she could do it herself with her own teeth. but after that how could she get out of the dark confident? If she was unable to, and they discovered her without the ropes, what sort of consequences would lie in waiting?

The power she now had perhaps.

But how was such a thing used? Activated? The masked men had taken the strange gear she had with her. Or maybe they had not.

She tried her best to reach around in the darkness despite the ropes. Her fingers brushed against a furry body, and she recoiled them quickly with a shudder. The rats were so close beside her. What would happen if she got bit?

She tried scooting, and gasped with surprise slightly when they curled around something sharp. She felt it in her hand, realizing with dismay it was the heel of one of her dress shoes. What could it be used for? She placed it down at her side and laid there thinking, but desperation was in the back of her mind.

A rat for now would have to do. She took a deep breath and listened carefully to the rats movements, knowing well how stupid her idea was.

She clenched her teeth, focusing, and when she was certain of where it was, she snagged the rat in her grip. It squeaked and tried to squirm away, but using her thumb and finger she gripped around it's head locking it in place. It scratched at her wrist with it's back claws. She shuddered again with disgust, imagining just how dirty and diseased it was. At the possibility of it's claws giving her an infection.

Then with shaky breathing she raised it to the ropes. It turned it's head away however, not biting through. She cursed, forcing it's mouth up against them harder, channeling her frustration into the act; but then she felt something else besides the psychological tingle of phantom lice running up her skin. The charge running beneath it.

Her vision faded and her head swirled. When she had gotten hold of her mind again, she could make out things within the murky darkness. She breathed in and it felt different. The ground was so close.

What was happening? She whole body shook with shock as she moved her arm to realize it was a small paw. She placed another one in from of her, and stumbled slightly, feeling her body, her thin bones, and her racing heartbeat. What was happening?

It was all so foreign. She smelled scents and scents of masked men. There were more than the two that had abducted her. It was far away, but not far enough. Her hearing too was amplified far beyond the the confinement, and she heard every rat among her.

Was this what the charge did? She realized, anticipation amplified in every nerve in her body.

Suddenly then, her vision faded and her head swirled again, and with a horrible screech she left the rat's body. She landed on the floor of the confinement with a thump, her limbs free of the ropes. She had gotten free from taking over the rat's body. Could you only hold it for oh so long before her control slipped? Perhaps it was something that would take practice.

She could hardly believe it. After everything that had happened. She had a possibility of getting away. As a rat, she could make her way out of the confident and past the masked men, and some where to escape. As a rat, she could sniff out food, avoid the diseased people, find places to sleep. Perhaps she could even travel far away from where the sickness was, and even someday figure out how to use her power to go home, or summon that portal again with the gear.

With her spirit revived, she tried to grab the rat again in the dark, but it's body was stiff and limp when she picked it up, and her eyes widened in the darkness.

Her power had killed it.

* * *

**I apologize for how short, mechanical, and rushed this chapter was, and for how long it took for me to update. I've been having writers block.**

**I don't think making Rosemary's starting power possession was too much of a stretch from canon logic, as Corvo and Daud have varying capabilities. **

**\- Graceful Peony**


	4. rat scratch

**Rose of Anarchy**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Dishonored. Dishonored is owned by Arkane Studios.**

* * *

_ Years before the rat plague ... _

"Ey." Manx said scoldingly, cuffing him over the head. "Are you listening at all?"

He raised his chin defiantly. "Of course I was, you're just too stupid to realize that people can still hear what you're saying even while looking off somewhere."

Manx snored, and his face held that smirk like he wasn't affected at all. It moved him to trust the other boy and admire the way he exerted with untouchable confidence.

"Says the kid that hasn't been out here in the allies that long. You're a lot less observant than everyone else around here."

"True." He felt himself whisper quietly, his small arms wrapping around his legs, but then his face knotted up when he realized he had admitted it. Manx snickered, making him feel worse.

"Here, Clueless, I'll show ya something then. Follow me." The older boy got up with his clothes ratty and dark brown hair messy. He knew he would start to look like that after a couple weeks.

He got up and dusted of his jeans, before following him down the alleyway. From his time spent with him he had already learned a lot about survival on Dunwall's streets. What places to dart to if an overseer was patrolling by, how to hide under boxes or carriages, or inside hedges. He was small, and Manx said that was useful. He could fit in small spaces no one would think to look, or crawl in through a petite window to steal money and food.

The boys ducked around a corner and stalked on their knees till they slid under a pile of crates. "Wait, Manx, why are we going in the Hatter's territory?" He whispered.

"Shh." Manx said, gesturing with his finger on his cracked lips. "Now see those blokes over there?" He pointed with his chin at two gang members who were cornering another one with a flopping hat. One was a big, muscular guy with a crossbow, and the other had an ear that looked like it had been chewed up by a dog.

"Watch what's gonna happen."

He didn't say anything and shrunk timidly behind the older boy, who looked intrigued. He just felt scared and wound his fingers into his curly red hair tugging on it to try and calm himself down.

"Traitor! You wretched traitor!" The hatter with the bitten ear shouted, and then he smacked the cornered guy across the face.

"Marvin, I'm not! What do you think I bloody did?" The cornered guy groaned as the guy called Marvin grabbed his shirt collar and slammed his head against a wall, knocking off that floppy hat.

"Selling the information on our routes to those overseer dogs that work for the Empress!"

"No way!" The cornered guy spat. "If of anything, it's you that's doing that and blaming it on me!"

Marvin sneered and kicked him in the ribs. Manx let out a gasp as the boy's heard a crack. The cornered guy crumpled, and as Marvin came in closer for another blow, there was a glint of silver in the sunlight as the cornered guy swiped across his throat in an uppercut.

Marvin curled and gripped his throat, spilling out blood from his mouth. The big guy, who had been quiet, immediately shot the cornered guy with the crossbow. He fell dead, and Marvin sank to the ground, pools spilling out from his neck and soaking through his clothes.

Manx turned around and whispered in his ear. "This is where I come in. Now watch and learn."

He pulled a rusty barber's knife out of his trousers and sauntered up behind the big guy. It was that cat-like ability of his movements that gave him his name on the streets. He didn't know what his name was before that, just that the older boy didn't want to be called anything else.

He held his breath, terrified, but just as the guy turned around Manx position the knife and stabbed straight down into his neck, before taking it out and repeating the action again. The large gang member let out a strangled cry, and then slumped in a lifeless heap of flesh.

He knelt in his hiding place, stunned, and he could hear how the air ringed from the quietness. Manx stood still, as almost in a trance for a second as he looked down at the body, but then he spun back around on his heel and the arrogant smirk was back, his chin tilted high. You don't have to hide anymore you know."

Manx walked over and stuck out his hand. Blood dripped from it. He paused, debating whether to take it, before tentatively sticking out his hand and curling his fingers around the other's. The blood felt wet. "D-do you think those hatters have money on their bodies?" It was hard for his voice to come out.

"Of course. Now you're thinking like you got to."

* * *

Rosemary fell to her knees and trembled, her mind and body coming back into themselves. She blew out a breath, trying to get a grip over her thoughts. That had been the second rat. It hadn't lasted any longer, it had been the same amount of time.

When she felt around the confinement, she realized the door above was made of wooden planks. She had run her fingers along the creases between the boards and started trying to budge between them with the heel of her dress shoe. However, the boards had been too tightly built together. She was trapped.

Afterwords, she had sunk back down to the concrete, wondering how long she would have to rest between using her power. That would be the only way out. If she could just get a good enough control over it, maybe she could run out as a rat if one of the masked men opened up the confinement. Or perhaps even, posses one of them.

No. The thought of killing someone made her sick. The rat thing was her best option.

She tried a third time, scurrying around, chewing a bit at the wood with sharp teeth. But as she left she felt nauseous. Hopefully the other rats would devour the dead ones. If no one actually came, they would make the place smell horrible. Not that it didn't already have the scent of that sewage, which was only amplified when sniffed through the rat.

She leaned back, and sighed, resting for a moment. Nathaniel and Alyssa. Would she ever get back? Would she miss college when it started? Would she see her niece born? What about her grandparents? Her face felt wet and droplets rolled down her cheeks. She let out another sigh, this one shaky as her chest tightened with despair.

What were the odds of really getting back? She didn't even know how she got to this world. Would she even make it long enough to start searching for answers?

"God," Rosemary felt herself saying out loud in a raspy voice. "If you really exist, if you know how I got here, please; please let me make it back. Please help me survive."

She lifted her hand and ran the other one over the mark. For now though, she could only listen quietly and wait. If someone came, she would have to be ready for it.

* * *

The hold was cold, and he felt the presence of another whaler approach. He let out a seething sigh and ran a hand through his hair. If Thomas were the one to open the hatch right now he wasn't sure if he would loose it and kill the damned fool on sight. The man was too up on his high-horse for being leader's bitch.

He sat up and hobbled to his feet, his muscles stiff from being a sitting position for likely over twenty-four hours. When he heard the metal bar being moved on the hatch, he had to cover his eyes with his hand as bright morning light flooded in. "Argh!" He growled out thought clenched teeth, rubbing his face.

It was Chester, his face tired and aged, and brown hair messy without his mask. "Alexsander, you're out now. Also, Thomas wants you right now."

Alexsander stiffened, trying to control his fuming breath, and stalked grudgingly out of the hold. The last thing he wanted was to spend more time in there. "What, I don't even get to eat something first?"

Chester unfastened his canteen from inside his coat. "I have water here. It's been boiled, so it's clean."

Alexsander huffed. Chester pushed it into his chest. "Do as I say and take it, or I wont offer it to you at any time in the future."

He hesitated, but with another shove from Chester he took it, gulping down the liquid as droplets trickled from his jaw. He re-caught his breath afterwords and gave the canteen back.

"Now let's go." Chester said, gesturing with his hand. He followed, a headache and nausea coming over him now that he was actually moving. He just wanted to eat bread and go to sleep somewhere warm.

Chester turned the corner. That wasn't right. "Wait, how come were not heading out?" Alexsander said, stopping. That was the way to the other confinements. What was Chester trying to pull?

"Thomas said to retrieve the girl as well. You will be assisting with her assessment."

He froze, and then broke out snickering. "What some kind of test for her because she's afraid of me? He saw how weak she was, so what does he really expect of her?" His voice was on edge, and he ran a hand through his curly red hair in agitation.

Chester quieted him by raising his hand.

They arrived at the hold the girl was staying in. Chester passed him a mask, and put one on himself. Then he moved the bar holding it in place.

They detected it a second before it happened. A rat darted quickly out of the hold, scurrying past their feet. It ran up the wall, and through a crack to the roof of the building.

"Well, she figured out possession without a rune." Chester said calmly, and then he blinked out to chase her. Alexsander did as well, and he reached the roof in time to see the girl leave the rat's body. Chester gripped both her arms behind her, and held her in place. The girl screamed, and tried to use possession on him, but she had run out of energy.

Chester laughed heartily. "Pretty daring for you to try and escape. But are these rat scratches on your wrist?" the girl looked away and he turned her around. "Are they?"

"Yes." the girl said quietly. Chester glanced at him. "Alexsander, go get vial of elixir. We've killed off a lot of plague rats, but I don't know about the one that scratched her."

The girl's eyes widened and she started to shake at his name. It made him feel slightly powerful. "On it." He said, his grin restored to his face beneath the mask.

* * *

**I have noticed the quality and style of my writing varies. I really need to sit down and improve it. **

**School and homework annoyingly eats up a lot of my time, but this story has some followers already and it's not fair on my part if I don't update, so I'll put in more effort to do so from now on.**


	5. bookshelf shadows

**Rose of Anarchy**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Dishonored. Dishonored is owned by Arkane Studios.**

* * *

She coughed as the masked man pulled her head back and poured a red liquid down her throat. It had a sharp taste. She had suspicions it wasn't medicine like the broad-built one had promised, but having witnessed the zombie-like plague herself made it seem more likely that they were being truthful. The sky had the glow of morning but clouds covered the sun, making everything as gloomy as it was cold.

The broader masked man had taken her to another roof, of some broken down building this time, where they met a third masked man. It was almost like a substitute court yard. She had no idea what they were going to do, and her escape attempt before had failed.

Since the rooftop was covered in splinters, she was grateful she had thought to put her shoes back on in the confinement.

"That's enough, Chester. She doesn't need a full vial." The other masked man muttered to the broad one. His voice was deep, and she recognized him as the one that had stopped the one called Alexsander from assaulting her. She noticed his posture was strict and ever tense, like that of an official.

"Very well, Thomas. But I would still like to continue monitoring her for a while, to see if she begins to develop any signs." The broad masked man's voice was also deep, but he had a softer manner of speaking.

"Let's get started then." The one called Thomas spoke. He flicked his head and Chester vaporized in a wisp of black, reappearing to sit down on a beam of wood above them. She blinked, unable to get used to the mysterious power. Alexsander jolted back a couple paces. "This is a joke." He grumbled. What were they planning?

Rosemary tensed as Thomas redirected his attention to her. "I have a task for you. You are about to take a test. If you pass, you might get something out of us. If you don't, we will imprison you, and that could potentially lead to your death."

She found herself shrinking back, but he shoved her forward with his palm, and pointed at Alexsander. "If you can hit him once, you pass." Thomas slipped a vial of blue liquid in her hand, and she looked down at it, and then at Alexsander. How could she do that? He had the ability to teleport!

Thomas backed up from her, blinking up to sit beside Chester. "The time starts now. Think quickly and on your feet." He called down from the beam.

Alexsander chuckled and she watched his form dissipate, jumping when she heard is voice behind her. "You wont be able to do it." He warped again as she spun around swinging the vial clumsily. A harsh blow from his boot hit her stomach and she cried out, crumpling to the ground.

"Alexsander, this is tag. You're not allowed to attack her." Thomas scolded irritably. Alexsander scoffed, and Rosemary sprang around again, aiming to jab the vial in his throat. "Yeah?" He dodged, and jumped back out of her reach, stirring up dust.

She clutched her stomach, and gave a war cry as she dove straight at him again. Another warning blow landed against her shoulder as he teleported again. She flung her head around, and turned in circles trying to see where he had gone.

"You know, unlike rats, using your possession on people won't kill them. Now, where would he hide?" Chester hinted from above. The area was surrounded by the broken remains of whatever building stood before. That was good information, and it brought her some relief. She hoped this test didn't have a time limit.

Relying on her gut, she darted off towards one of the staircases and started down it. That Alexsander acted arrogant, and seemed like the type that liked showing off. She wondered if his intention really was to hide. Either way, he was messing with her.

She gritted her teeth as a throbbing dizziness rushed to her head. How long had it been since she had eaten? She tried to block it out and focus, her chest heaving as she inhaled the foul air. Would he make any sound if she listened carefully? Who were these people anyway? Rouges? A mob syndicate?

She paused with thoughts of fear running through her mind. She had to catch this guy. Or was there still a chance for her to escape them?

Suddenly she heard the snap of wood below her and jolted down the next set of stairs. No one was there as she looked around and above her, but the leg of a rotting chair had been snapped off. So he was toying with her. It hadn't taken him long either, so perhaps that meant he was impatient too? Was there any way she'd be able to take advantage of that?

She walked down the final set of stairs and touched down on the rocky ground. A stream of sewer water trickled near her ankles. Even though he could teleport she still had the ability to posses stuff. She was tired from the rat before, but she still had the strength to do it again. She had a strange thought enter her mind as the vial of blue liquid swished in her grip. Was that what it was for? She worked the cap off and with hesitation took the risk of drinking it. Energy surged through her instantly, like a battery.

She heard a squeak and after tucking the empty vial into the front of her dress, turned her attention back to surveying the ground for rats. She had to surprise him in some way. Maybe she could climb up and be the one to hide somewhere until he got impatient and came out. It didn't seem like she could land a blow on him out in the open where there was a lot of space to move. Even so, the thought of being in a tight space with him didn't sit well with her.

After a while of searching she came across a group picking at the remains of a fish carcass. She gathered her power and flowed into a brown one, wobbling slightly as she adjusted. She slipped into the shadows and scurried up the side of the building.

Where on earth would he be?

Deciding to change tactics, perhaps even find a way to escape, she crawled in through an open window. On the other side was a room with bookcases, and a doorway on either side. Not exactly a tight space, but it was better than what she had come across so far, and she would consider it. She crawled up one of the bookcases and hid at the top, slipping into the shadows again. After a while, her rat possession wore off. She nudged it's dead body in the corner with her elbow guiltily.

Hiding gave her time to observe the room. It was dry and swept, and just looked used. So these buildings were actually inhabited. Probably as the masked men's base. Was she even allowed in here? She hoped they wouldn't be too mad if they found out.

Suddenly she heard laughter below her and jumped. Alexsander was slumped on the wall next to the window. "Is this really your best? Are you really taking this test seriously or are you a snooping spy?"

With a nervous breath she focused her energy and tried to posses him, but as she lunged he stepped aside and she crashed against the wall. Slumping, she wrapped her arms around her head as she groaned with pain.

His laughter continued, a piercing sound to her throbbing head. Her vision was a disoriented rush, and it felt like murder when she jerked her head up. He was so close. Right in front of her. She shot her fist forward and he caught her wrist, twisting it. She yelped, buckling forward.

He was so close. She had it, this was her moment. She just need to... She just needed...

Rosemary clenched her teeth and summoned all the will she had, chaneling it. Alexsander sensed it and let go of her, jumping back, but she was already on the move and hurled herself into his body.

She let out a gasp of shock, but it wasn't through her mouth. It was his, encased in a thick, suffocating mask. It creeped her out to no end, to think she was operating another's body. Let alone the one of the guy who tried to assault her. She tried to push it out of her mind, and flexed his finders and then his legs, testing out the newly-found strength. She then woozily gripped the window, crawling through awkwardly with a bigger body.

His feet were bigger so she tripped as she tried to walk back towards Thomas and Chester, but she was startled as she realized she was loosing control sooner than she anticipated. She found herself getting shoved out, and she landed on her knees with a thud.

Alexsander flopped down exhaustively and his hand went to his mask to tug it off. Sweaty red hair stuck out and his back was to her and he vomited on the wood. "Damn bitch." he coughed.

Thomas and Chester both materialized to watch the scene. "You pulled it off." Chester said, sounding amused. Rosemary let her shoulder relax, relief washing over her. Yes, she had pulled it off. She actually had! Even with his cheating! She wouldn't be imprisoned or killed. But what awaited her now?

Alexsander turned and glared first at Rosemary and then up at the other two masked men with an angry face, and then grabbed his mask and stood up to be on the same level as them. "I better get to eat something now."

"Yes, you're dismissed to get something from the storage. But be ready in an hour for patrols." Thomas said sternly, trying very hard to keep his breathing even and remain composed.

"What?" Alexsander paused accusingly.

"You did not follow my orders again. So you will go without rest." Alexsander looked like he was going to say something, or more snap it, but he just threw up his hands and stomped past.

"He's like a bratty teenager." Chester remarked softly when he was out of hearing range. He patted Thomas' shoulder to try and calm him down. "You let him rile you up so easily."

Thomas sighed, nodding tiredly, "Yes, I know."

He then leaned down to address Rosemary. She found herself cringing away from his presence. "You passed the test and proved yourself useful, so there is no chance of us hurting you now. You don't have to fear that." His spoke calmly.

"Alright." Rosemary said with uncertainty. He grabbed her arm and tugged her up, and she just went along with it, letting him lead her with slow steps to god knows where, trembling and exhausted from everything that had happened.

"Your name girl?" Chester asked, walking beside them. He sounded friendly, but wasn't really looking at her, more observing the mark on her hand.

She looked uncomfortably off the the side, hesitant to give it, but then decided that it wasn't really something she needed to keep secret. "Rosemary."

"Alright." Chester nodded thoughtfully. "We still need to interrogate you, Rosemary, before you start serving Daud."

"And that is what you promised I'd get out of this?" She snapped, feeling a sudden burst of anger break through her fatigue. They stopped walking, and Thomas' grip tightened on her arm in warning.

"Your life is what you got out of it. You're also not a prisoner."

"Yeah, I see." Rosemary whispered, slumping her head in dismay. A servant, not actual freedom. "I get how you guys work now."

* * *

**I'm actually kinda proud of this chapter. I just did this all in one go, and that's writing more than I usually do, which is good. My updating pace has still remained pretty inconsistent, but honestly school just drains me. For those waiting for the Outsider's, appearance he will come into the story, it's just not the right time yet. As for Corvo, I'm a bit puzzled as to how I'm going to write him, but I'll figure something out.  
**

**\- Graceful Peony  
**


	6. getting situated

**Rose of Anarchy**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Dishonored. Dishonored is the property of Arkane Studios**.

* * *

"Delilah." He whispered, his horse voice and the white daylight lulling him out of his tormented sleep. He groaned and sat up, slumped oh his lumpy bed with a groggy slouch. His heavy burdens returned to his shoulders and chest with the awakening of recognition.

His back was out again. Daud clenched his shoulder-blades straight, hissing as the movement pinched the healing slash across his back. He let out a sigh, lying back down and looking through the shambled ceiling with all the creases on his face clenching in thought. It was well past the cold of morning, the air still fresh, but warm.

After Thomas dealt with the girl, he would send him out to collect information. It would probably take a while for him to return with results.

The heaviness got tighter when he realized he had been picturing the memory of red cloth subconsciously. Billie Lurk had betrayed him, and he had spared her. Whether it was in weakness or self-control he did not know. It still felt unsettling to have Thomas in her place, although he did the job well, with a loyalty she had never displayed. He was the correct choice, as he had already repeatedly proven himself well deserving.

After a moment of time, he finally got up off the bed and pulled on his clothes. He stepped down the stairs and went to his office, picking up his blade and settling down on the floor with a rag to clean the drying blood off it's sharp edge. It was comfortable within his grip. Second nature, and the instrument of his sins.

Some of his fresher whalers were up and practicing outside, chatting amiably. It wasn't quite wise, so soon after the overseer's surge, but still flooded him with an unusual sense of peace in it's normalcy. Although normalcy was an illusion in such times of plague and rot.

The Empress.

He could drown in the swallowing guilt that had become familiar, if he let himself, but tried instead to shake the emotion from his thoughts. He had to focus on Delilah and find her, or face his fate. Daud sighed heavily and wiped his hands, his body feeling very old as he reached his audio graph player.

* * *

The straps of her hard dress shoes were rubbing against her blistering ankles, and her head was still throbbing from the lack of food, as Rosemary was led through a worn hallway below to a dim basement room and pushed down by both her shoulders on a creaky chair. Chester took both her wrists and tied them tightly with a cloth behind her, but grabbed her arm when she tugged on them in reflex. Thomas pulled up a rotting crate and sat down straight-backed on it, facing her with the wide yellow lenses of his mask.

"Rosemary," He started immediately, his voice intimidating with authority. Well, straight to business and the sooner that she could get this over with; despite what awaited her after. She was tired of being yanked around.

"How did you find yourself within the Flooded District?"

"Is that what this place is called?" She hesitated, startled by how weak her voice sounded. Thomas nodded.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"That is not for you to decide. Tell us now." He ordered firmly. Chester moved to hang beside him with intrigue.

She inhaled deeply for a moment, before responding quickly in fear of backlash.

"I'm not from here, I'm from somewhere else. I got taken here somehow, sucked in through some type of portal."

Thomas glanced at Chester, and then turned back. "The Outsider took you from somewhere else?" He sized up her ruined clothing. "I did notice it's difference. From where? Tyvia? The Pandyssian Continent?"

"No." She said quietly. "I've never heard of those places before, or any outsider. I'm from the United States."

"There is no such place recorded." Chester stated, suspicion in his tone.

"Because it's in a different world" He didn't seem to react, beyond tensing his shoulders, but she didn't have any way of telling his expressions underneath the mask.

"When did this happen?" Thomas demanded forcefully, leaning closer.

"A bit before you captured me. I got sucked into the portal after I picked up that carved bone and it branded the mark into my hand. Then I woke up here."

Thomas crossed his arms, silent for a second. He glanced at Chester again and some wordless communication passed between them before he touched his arm and they blinked out. Rosemary felt her chest tighten and her jaw clench, fearing she had said too much, or the wrong thing. She waited in the silence, trying to keep her panic under control, until they returned.

"Now." Thomas said pointedly, not sitting down on the box, but coming straight up to her, his height hanging over her. It made her tremble. "You do speak the truth?"

"Yes." Rosemary tried to say with conviction, but it came out weaker than she intended. Had that really been what had happened, or something else, and she just couldn't remember?

"If you are not, we will find out." His voice lowered and the volume became quieter, giving it a deadly quality. She nodded.

"Lastly for now, where did you find the rune?" Rosemary looked at him questioningly. "The carved bone that you spoke of before." He explained.

"It was lying in the mud of a lake, beside a dead whale with weird liquid coming out of a gash in it's stomach. Whales aren't supposed to be in lakes."

"A whale." He murmured thoughtfully, as if he understood it. He then leaned over, undoing the cloth, and walked over to Chester. "Follow us now." He ordered without glancing back.

Rosemary got up from the chair unsteadily. She was overtaken with nervousness, but at the same time relieved they were giving her some autonomy instead of dragging her arm. Her steps creaked on the decaying wood of the stairs as she hurried after them, afraid to get too close, but also afraid of what they may do if she trailed behind. They returned back up through the hallway and her shoulder brushed against the scrapes along the wall. Some looked like dark scuff-marks, from heavy pieces of furniture perhaps. Others were odd brown streaks she didn't want to observe too closely.

Her captors were walking faster than they had coming in, and she winced at every step further biting her shoes into her ankles. Why had she chosen that day to get dressed up? Well, at the time she didn't think she would have to do much walking. Thoughts like that in her first-world country of constant comfort and security now felt as far away as her world actually was. She would have to endure, and just bear with it. She probably wasn't going to get back any time soon.

When they arrived up, Chester pushed her through and closed the door behind. "Get her situated." Thomas told Chester. "I'm going to report." The broader man nodded, and he blinked away.

Chester told her to wait there for a minute and blinked away as well. Rosemary shook her head, still not used to watching people vanish in thin air. She was beginning to see the dynamic between them, these strange rouges. Thomas looked to be a superior of sorts, and by the sound of it, there was another higher up. He relied on Chester pretty closely, so perhaps that gave him rank- or at least influence within the mysterious group as well. How many were there? This collapsed building was extensive, but the group could still be only a few. They seemed pretty organized, however, and gave off the impression they had numbers.

She jumped when Chester returned, a jumble of cloth in his arms. "What if you accidentally re-materialize in the spot someone is standing on? Will you fuse?" She found herself blurting out, then took a step back, locking her jaw.

Chester's shoulders shook with a subtle chuckle. "Who knows. But I don't think it works that way. Has more to do with transporting through space, not slitting apart and coming back together." Rosemary nodded, shocked he had actually answered her question. It seemed so ...civil, compared to how she had been treated this whole time.

He stepped up to her, sticking out his arms to hand her the pile. She looked at the pile wearily, which were actually clothes, and then up at him, and he gestured with his wrist in permission. She slowly brought her hands forward and took it. She recognized the the thick gloves they wore on their hands, and then sized up the rest. Their uniform. The realization made a icy shiver run through her.

"Come with me now. I'll lead you to where you will sleep. It's temporary. You will move into more permanent quarters later on."

Rosemary could only manage a mute nod, trying to process the actuality and implications of just what she had gotten dragged into. He walked cross the room and they turned a corner going through a glass set of doors, and then up another couple flights of stairs to a corridor. He led her to the door on the end. It was a storage room filled with crates, fallen planks and dust littering the floor. There was a set of folded blankets and a mat against the wall, beside a sink. She was reminded of her thirst.

"We have no running water." Chester informed, when he saw her eyes fall on it. He took a bucket from the corner and set it down in the middle of the room. "For washing, but you have to boil the water first. There are wood stoves and soaps in the kitchen. Also food. It gets to be freezing in the night, so I recommend you heat coals."

"Is there a bathroom?" She asked.

"On one of the lower floors, the same one the kitchen is on. We have ceramic bowls and rags, but you are responsible for dumping and cleaning them after your use."

"Alright." She tried to keep her expression neutral.

"Change into those and see if they fit," Chester ordered, his tone with dismissal. "Those boots are the only women's set we have, so you're going to have to make them work. Get some food and rest for now. You're not allowed to explore the hideout beyond the areas I've already explained." He then blinked out.

She looked around again, taking in everything carefully, not knowing what to feel, before closing the door and locking it. She peeled of her ruined dress and shoes, folding them and putting them beside the mat.

When she picked up the dusty-brown trousers and white button shirt, she hesitated, before smelling them, expecting the scent of blood, or someone else. She got neither, and wearily pulled them on, buttoning up the shirt. She then pulled on the black heavy coat, gloves, socks, and then boots. She curled up on the mat, throwing the blankets around herself. "Why am I here?" She whispered faintly.

* * *

**Oh boy am I rusty. I may rewrite this chapter at some point. Please tell me if Daud is OOC. I'm aware that Rosemary has little personality, so I'm working on developing one for her. The fic was plotless and hashed together hastily in the beginning. **

**The whole of the original timeline supposedly takes place over as little as around five days. It's too short for any sort of gradual character development, so I will extend it, hopefully in a way that wont disrupt canon too much. **


End file.
